


Everything He Wanted

by kowaiyoukai



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Gen, Power Dynamics, Psychological Drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-10-27
Updated: 2008-10-27
Packaged: 2017-10-30 17:49:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/334461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kowaiyoukai/pseuds/kowaiyoukai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Andy could get anyone to do anything he wanted. This never seemed like a problem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Everything He Wanted

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the August 2008 round of [spn-monthlyfic](http://spn-monthlyfic.livejournal.com/). Challenge: my_sam_dean, Andy Gallagher, kite, landslide, ring, "If I can't figure it out, I know someone who can." Wow, this was hard to write. I finally finished it, but wow. I think Andy is a really hard character to write. Hopefully I got him right.

Being able to order people around generally rocked. Andy could get anyone to do anything he wanted. This included, but was most definitely not limited to, never having to wait in line (even at amusement parks), bill collectors actually _listening_ when he told them to leave him alone because he wasn't paying, and always listening to what he wanted on the radio no matter who was driving. It wasn't long before Andy realized that there was nothing he couldn't do. When he wanted something, he got it, no matter what it was. He had all the power, wealth, and glory he wanted—which wasn't really any at all. But the point was, he _could_ have any of that, if he wanted it. And knowing that was enough, for him.

His ability had the really amazing side effect of never having to work or be anywhere he didn't want to be, so he often strolled around town right after he woke up, around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. Andy was taking his morning stroll when he noticed a woman in a wheelchair next to a bench, watching a kid run around with a kite on the grass in front of her. He'd never seen her before and he was curious, so he walked up to her and sat down on the bench, not directly next to her but close enough that it was obvious he was going to start a conversation.

"Nice day out," he said, amicably. The woman nodded and continued looking at the boy, so Andy motioned towards the kid. "He yours?"

"Oh, no," the woman said, shaking her head a little. "But I love watching kids playing on days like this. It's peaceful."

Andy nodded. He thought the woman was too young to be thinking like that—she definitely wasn't over 35 no matter how well she aged. Still, it was an interesting enough comment that he continued. "So, you planning on having kids of your own?"

The woman smiled ruefully. "No." Then she spoke so quickly Andy didn't at first make the connection between her two statements. "My husband died." Her hand lifted up to toy with a ring she wore on a chain around her neck. "Last year, we were skiing and there was a landslide. We were trapped under ice and snow for over a day." She paused, breathed slowly. "When they rescued us, he was critically injured. They did all they could, but…" She trailed off and let her hand drop back down to her lap. "They said I was lucky to be alive, even though I'll never walk again." She looked back out at the boy running across the grass, holding the kite that followed his every move. "Sometimes I wonder."

Andy swallowed. He hadn't been prepared for her to say all that, and now he didn't know what to do. When he was usually faced with a problem like this, he would simply order someone to do something that fixed it, and then everything was fine. This was something he couldn't change no matter what he said.

There was a minute where they were both silent, during which time Andy thought that he shouldn't have bothered her. Looking at her now, Andy could see the lines on her face that he had missed before and the way her head was bowed slightly, as if she just didn't have the strength to lift it. How had he missed that before?

"I'm sorry," Andy said, quietly.

"Well, these things happen," she said in the tone of someone who'd said the same thing too many times to count and didn't quite believe it. "I just wish I could find a way to fix this ring," she said, lifting a hand once again to linger at the ring around her neck. "It was my husband's wedding ring, but it was crushed in the landslide. I've been to all sorts of jewelers, but they all tell me it's a waste of time, that I should just buy a new one." She shook her head. "I just wish they would understand that it has to be _this_ ring."

Andy found himself looking at the ring and saying, "Can I see that for a second?"

"Why?" she asked. "Do you know how to fix it?" He looked over at her to find her facing him, eyes shining with hope for what must be the first time in months.

Andy smiled at her. "If I can't figure it out, I know someone who can," he said. "When will you be here until?"

"I'll wait until you come back," she said. Then, carefully, she added, "Just… just come back, okay? Please. If you're looking for money, I can give you some, but don't sell the ring."

Andy frowned. "I wouldn't do that," he said. Then, he dug around in his pocket until he found his driver's license. "Here," he said, handing it to her. "Hold onto this until I get back. That way, you know I'm coming."

"All right," she agreed. She carefully undid the chain from around her neck and handed him the chain and ring. "Remember, I'll be waiting right here."

Andy nodded at her, held carefully onto the chain and ring, and began running back the way he had come, towards the center of town. He only knew of one jewelry store, but the man who ran it made everything by hand, so he should know how to fix it. When Andy got there, the man said it was a waste of time, and then Andy ordered him to fix the ring back into pristine, unbreakable condition as quickly as possible. The man went to the front door, put up the closed sign, took the ring, and went into the backroom.

As Andy waited in the main room for him to be finished, he realized he wasn't planning on giving the man any money for his work. He wanted to pay the man for doing his job. That was how everyone else got what they wanted, by following the rules. But he had relied on having his powers for so long that by now he didn't even carry cash around. He just took what he wanted, without thinking about how it affected other people. It was easy for him to order this man to fix a ring, but what was it like for him? He had to close his shop for the day, losing all sorts of business, and now he wasn't even getting paid for his work.

After that thought, everything else hit Andy in rapid succession. He could order girls to sleep with him, but this was the first time he thought about what it must be like for them, after he'd gone. Did they remember? Were they upset? And the people he cut on line—they had been there first, had been waiting like how they were supposed to so that everyone got their fair turn. They probably weren't thrilled about having him walk up and get exactly what he wanted and then saunter out. And the bill collectors he turned away—did they get fired? What were the consequences of them not doing their jobs? Why had he never considered any of this before?

He suddenly realized that he had never considered any of that before because he hadn't cared. It just didn't matter to him what everyone else had to do, what the consequences were for everyone else, because as long as he got what he wanted everything was great. Everyone else was going along without this ability, and he was using them to get what he wanted. Andy had never considered himself a bad guy, but now he was starting to wonder. Would someone who was good do what he had been doing? What did it mean when he was taking cups of coffee from strangers and coercing people into giving him their cars? When was the last time he had actually done something for himself—paid for something, or spoke to someone without using his powers, or worked like everyone else had to do?

But, he quickly realized, there was a reason he used his powers they way he did. He couldn't order this woman to walk, he couldn't order the dead to breathe, and he couldn't order people to understand each other. He could force people into performing actions, but that was all they were. For everything important, everything that mattered, he was useless.

The man eventually came back with the ring, in pristine unbreakable condition, just like Andy had told him to. So Andy took it, promised himself he would come back and pay the man what he owed him, and went back to the park. The woman was still sitting there, although now it was twilight and the kids were long gone. Andy walked up to her, smiling.

"Here," he said, holding out the ring on the chain. "Is this what you wanted?"

The woman reached out and touched the ring, then clasped her hand around it. Andy let her take it, and she clutched it to her chest, shoulders shaking.

"Yes," she said, voice breaking. "Thank you. Yes." She carefully hung the ring around her neck once more and then held out Andy's license. "Well, I didn't sell it," she said, laughing although her eyes were blurry and small trickles of moisture ran down her cheeks.

"I didn't think you would," Andy replied.

He left then because he knew there was nothing else he could do for her. He had given her what she had wanted, and although it was the first time he had done something for someone else in his entire life, he still felt empty. She would sit there mourning the past for who knew how long, and Andy knew tomorrow he would go right back to getting exactly everything he wanted.

 

_fin._


End file.
